abandoned ship's topics - tribe.net

Just making the rounds....

aleksonder — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:06:34 GMT

Ah, yes, all is well.

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

What is in your Treasure Chest?

aleksonder — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:43:37 GMT

A man dies and finds himself at the gates of Heaven. An angel approaches him and tells him that she is his guardian angel and is there to give him a Grand Tour of the Kingdom of Heaven.

After hours of experiencing the beauty and majesty of Heaven, he noticed one door that he had not seen. He asked the Angel, "What's behind that door?"

The Angel replied, "Oh...you don't want to see what's behind there."

The man answered, "Yes I do...please show me what's behind that door."

The Angel hesitantly answered, "Ok...but I warned you."

The angel removed a key from her white gown and unlocked the door. The man turned the knob and entered to find a vast room filled with treasure chests. Large ones... Small ones... Square ones....Round ones.

The man asked the Angel, "What are all of these chests?"

The Angel answered, "Well...everyone who comes to heaven has a chest of theirs that we keep in this room."

The man asked, "Do I have a Treasure Chest?"

The Angel answered, "Yes...you do."

"Can I see what's my chest?" The man asked.

"Oh...," the Angel hesitantly replied, "You don't want to see your chest."

"Oh yes I do," The man demanded, "Please show me my chest."

So, the Angel led the man through what seemed like miles and miles of Treasure Chests until they came to one that measured nine feet long by six feet wide and twelve feet high.

"My God! " the man exclaimed, "It's enormous. What inside?"

"Oh..." the Angel warned, "You do not want to see what is inside."

"Yes I do!" The man exclaimed, "Show me what's inside."

The Angel hands the man a key. The man takes the key and finds a ladder leaned up against the treasure chest. He climbs the ladder and inserts the key in a keyhole at the top. As he turned the key, something clicked inside and the great door of the chest lifted. The man looked inside to find what thousands and thousands of pieces of paper that seemed like written lists of some kind.

"What is all this?" the man asked the Angel.

The Angel sighed and answered, "These are all the things you could have had when you were alive...if only you had asked."

=====

The key to happiness is found within.

posted in abandoned ship - 10 replies

Industrial Society Destroys Mind & Environment

aleksonder — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:42:32 GMT

Going through my files, I found this article of interest. Enjoy the read.
=====================================================

Dear Group Members,

I want to share an article with you. This is about the link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues. Our planet is on the verge of total destruction. We urgently need to shift to a Simple and Natural Lifestyle.

Thank you,
Sushil Yadav
=====================================================

MAIN ARTICLE & EXPERIMENT

Please note : The article has been written in short sentences rather than paragraph-form because it is about subjective experience / emotion/ reduction of thought.

Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.

Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel.
Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet.
Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist.

Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking.

If there are no gaps there is no emotion.

Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion.

When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing.

There comes a time when there are almost no gaps.

People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps.

Emotion ends.

Man becomes machine.

A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.

A traveling society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.

A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression / Anxiety.

FAST VISUALS /WORDS MAKE SLOW EMOTIONS EXTINCT.

SCIENTIFIC /INDUSTRIAL /FINANCIAL THINKING DESTROYS EMOTIONAL CIRCUITS.

A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY CANNOT FEEL PAIN / REMORSE / EMPATHY.

A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY WILL ALWAYS BE CRUEL TO ANIMALS/ TREES/ AIR/ WATER/ LAND AND TO ITSELF.

I am trying to get the following experiment conducted in a psychophysiology/ bio-chemistry laboratory.

There is a link between visual / verbal speed ( in perception, memory,
imagery ) and the bio-chemical state of the brain and the body.

Emotion can intensify / sustain only when visual and verbal processing
associated with the emotion slows down ( stops / freezes ).

The degree of difficulty of an emotion depends upon the degree of
freezing (of visuals and words ) required to intensify and sustain that
particular emotion.

Experiment:

Subjects (preferably actors specialising in tragedy / tragic roles )
will be asked to watch a silent video film showing any of the
following:-

(1) Human suffering.
(2) Animal suffering.
(3) Suffering ( Destruction ) of Air / Water / Land / Trees.

Subjects will be asked to intensify and sustain the subjective feeling of pain/ grief for the sufferer.

The chemical changes associated with the emotion in the body(blood) would be measured by appropriate methods.

The silent video film will be shown at different speeds :
(1) 125% of actual speed.
(2) Actual/real speed.
(3) 75% of actual speed.
(4) 50% of actual speed.
(5) 25% of actual speed.

Results :

(1) Intensity of emotion increases with the decrease in visual speed.
(2) Intensity of emotion is maximum when visual speed is minimum (25%
of actual speed)
(3) The amount of chemical change associated with the emotion in the
body(blood) will be found to increase with the decrease in visual speed.
(4) The chemical change is maximum when visual speed is minimum.
(5) The amount of chemical change will increase with the decrease in
breathing rate. Breathing becomes so slow and non-rhythmic that it stops
for some time at the inhalation/ exhalation stages.

The above co-relations will be valid for all subjects -even for those who cannot feel pain/ grief. Such subjects will experience emotion associated with boredom/ discomfort/ restlessness/ irritability/ uneasiness. The chemicals released will be different but the co-relation between visual speed and amount of chemical will be same( the breathing rates will be different/ fast).
All subjects will experience some kind of emotion.

[If scientists can discover 4000 different chemicals in cigarette-smoke then they can certainly detect the few chemicals released in blood when we experience higher-level emotions like pain, empathy, compassion, remorse etc… ]

In the 2nd stage of experiment we shall replace the silent video film with a Narrator ( Audio only ) and repeat the procedure thereby establishing the link between intensity of emotion and verbal speed. The narrator will slow down verbal speed by-- speaking slowly, stretching words, repetition of words/ sentences & making use of
pause/ silence between words.

Please note:
(1) A THINKING MIND CANNOT INTENSIFY / SUSTAIN ANY EMOTION.
While this statement is generally true for all emotions, it is
particularly true for all painful emotions.

(2) In a society in which visual ( verbal ) speed and breathing- rates
are fast , pain / remorse / empathy cannot be experienced. It is
impossible.

PROOF.
Proof of the link between pain and slow visuals / words :-

In the last century man has made thousands of movies / films on various
themes / subjects. Whenever pain / tragedy is shown in any film the
visuals ( scenes ) and words ( dialogues ) are always slowed down. In
many films tragedy is shown in slow motion. At the most intense moment
of pain the films almost become static / stationary.

Tragedy-films provide direct proof / evidence of the link between pain
and slowness.

Pain can intensify / sustain only when visual ( and verbal ) speed slows
down( stops/ freezes).

CHANGE IN VISUAL SPEED OVER THE YEARS

One thousand years ago visuals would change only when man physically
moved himself to a new place or when other people ( animals / birds )
and objects ( clouds / water ) physically moved themselves before him.

Today man sits in front of TV / Computer and watches the rapidly
changing visuals / audio.

He sits in a vehicle ( car / train / bus ) and as it moves he watches
the rapidly changing visuals.

He turns the pages of a book / newspaper / magazine and sees many
visuals / text in a short span.

CHANGE IN VERBAL SPEED OVER THE YEARS

In ancient times verbal processing was “live” in nature—ie it happened when people actually spoke.
Today there is non-stop verbal processing inside the mind through print and electronic media ( newspapers, books, magazines, radio, television, computer etc…) as a result of which the verbal content & speed has increased thousands of times.

The speed of visuals ( and words ) has increased so much during the last
one hundred years that today the human brain has become incapable of
focussing on slow visuals /words through perception, memory, imagery.

If we cannot focus on slow visuals / words we cannot experience emotions
associated with slow visuals /words.

Before advent of Industrial Revolution Man's thinking was primarily limited to :

(a) visual processing ( slow visuals )
(b) verbal / language processing ( slow words )

Today there are many kinds of fast thinking :

(1) visual processing ( fast visuals )
(2) verbal / language processing ( fast words )
(3) Scientific / Technical thinking ( fast )
(4) Industrial thinking ( fast )
(5) Business thinking ( fast )

(3), (4) & (5) ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NUMBERS / SYMBOLS / EQUATIONS /
GRAPHS /CIRCUITS / DIAGRAMS / MONEY / ACCOUNTING etc…

As long as the mind is doing this kind of thinking it cannot feel any
emotion - not an iota of emotion.

In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
In a thinking ( scientific / industrial ) society emotion itself becomes extinct.

EMOTION IS WHAT REMAINS IN THE MIND WHEN VISUAL /VERBAL PROCESSING SLOWS
DOWN (STOPS/ FREEZES )

There are certain categories of people who feel more emotion (subjective experience ) than others.

If we attempt to understand why (and how ) they feel more emotion we can learn a lot about emotion.

Writers, poets, actors, painters ( and other artists )

WRITERS
Writers do verbal ( and associated visual) processing whole day- every day.
They do slow verbal ( and associated visual) processing every day.
(A novel that we read in 2 hours might have taken 2 years to write. This is also the reason why the reader can never feel the intensity & duration of emotion experienced by the writer )

POETS
Poets do verbal ( and associated visual ) processing whole day- every day.
There is more emotion in poetry than in prose. This happens because there are very few words ( and associated visuals ) in poetry than in any other kind of writing. There is a very high degree of freezing / slowing down of visuals & words in poetry.

ACTORS
Actors do verbal ( and associated visual ) processing whole day- every day. During shooting / rehearsal they repeat the dialogues ( words ) again and again ( the associated visuals / scenes also get repeated along with the dialogues )

PAINTERS
Painters do visual ( and associated verbal ) processing whole day- every day.
They do extremely slow visual processing - The visual on the canvas changes only when the painter adds to what already exists on the canvas.

There are some important points to be noted :

All these people do visual & verbal processing - whole day - every day.
They do slow visual & verbal processing. They do not do scientific / industrial / business processing whole day - every day.

Most of the city people doing mental work either do this kind of mental processing which is associated with NUMBERS / SYMBOLS/ Equations / Graphs / CIRCUITS / DIAGRAMS / MONEY / ACCOUNTING etc… or they do fast visual ( verbal ) processing whole day - every day.

This kind of thinking ( processing ) has come into existence only during the last 200 years and has destroyed our emotional ability ( circuits ).

SELF-ASSESSMENT OF ( SUBJECTIVE ) INTENSITY OF EMOTION IS ALMOST ALWAYS WRONG.

Suppose the maximum intensity(and duration) of a particular emotion that
can be experienced by any human being is 100 units.

Let us suppose the maximum intensity(and duration) of that particular emotion ever experienced by two people A & B in their entire life is :
A - 100units
B - 20 units

Now suppose A & B are made subjects on a particular day and are asked
to feel that particular emotion under experimental conditions ( or outside the laboratory ) and the intensity &duration they actually experience is :
A - 90 units
B - 18 units

If A & B are then asked to indicate the intensity &duration of emotion on a scale
of 0 -10 their response is likely to be ;
A - 9
B - 9

Who is right and who is wrong?
A is right.
B is wrong - B is wrong by a wide margin - B has experienced an intensity (and duration) of 18 units out of a maximum of 100 units and his correct / actual score should be 1.8

Self- assessment (self rating ) can be accurate only if people have the capacity to experience the highest intensity &duration ( units ) of the particular emotion under study.

Because of physical work and slow visual/verbal processing in small(slow)agriculture based societies of the past, the mind used to experience a state of emotion all the time. If we read one thousand-year-old literature we will not come across the term "boredom" -the concept of boredom did not exist in slow societies. There were long gaps between different visuals and between words/ sentences -and people had the ability to experience/ tolerate the gaps -it was normal for them.

Emotion can intensify / sustain only when visual / verbal processing slows down ( stops / freezes ). In an Industrial (thinking) society people experience very little emotion because of fast ( visual / verbal / scientific / industrial / business ) thinking

Suppose the maximum intensity and duration of a particular emotion ( for most people ) in a fast society has reduced to 5 units ( from 100 units that people used to experience in earlier /slower societies ).

If such people experience 4 units of emotion they will give themselves a
rating /score of 8 on a scale of 0-10 whereas their actual score should
be 0.4

IN A FAST SOCIETY SLOW EMOTIONS BECOME EXTINCT.

IQ Vs EQ

IQ always has an element of change in it – IQ is about trying to make/ discover/ invent something new all the time. Change is an inherent feature of IQ.
IQ is also about thinking more in less time—it involves speeding up of mind. Someone who does more mathematics in less time is considered more intelligent in mathematics. IQ is about change and speed.

EQ is about sustainment of the same feeling/experience over a period of time. When we experience any higher-level emotion for 10 minutes we experience the same feeling (subjective experience) over and over again for 10 minutes. The (same) feeling can sustain only if there is Repetition.
EQ involves Repetition—Constancy—Sameness.

IQ and EQ are contradictory.
IQ and EQ are opposites.
IQ and EQ are inversely proportional.
(1) A thinking species destroys the planet.
(2) Animals lived on earth for billions of years (in very large numbers)
without destroying nature.
(3) They did not destroy nature because their thinking / activity was
limited to searching for food for one time only.
(4) Man has existed on earth in large numbers for only a few thousand
years / a few hundred years.
(5) Within this short period Man has destroyed the environment.
(6) This destruction took place because of Man's thinking.
(7) When man thinks he makes things.
(8) When he makes things he kills animals / trees / air / water / land.
( Nothing can be made without killing these five elements of nature ).

(9) A thinking species destroys the planet.

Intelligence Is A Curse.

This planet is on the verge of total destruction.

The cause of destruction is – overactivity. [Out of millions of species in this world the human-species is the only one that has indulged in overactivity]

The cause of overactivity is – Intelligence.
[The environment would never have got destroyed if Man had been only as intelligent as animals]

Intelligence is the biggest cause/ source of destruction in this world.

[In fact Intelligence is the only cause of destruction in this world other than natural causes]

MENTAL WORK IS INJURIOUS TO THE MIND AND PLANET.

There is no higher purpose behind work.

People do not work because they want to work.
People work because they cannot stop working.

People cannot stop physical activity and mental activity (simultaneously) for even 2 minutes.

For most people it is a choice between physical and mental work.
The switch-over from physical work to mental work is disastrous for the planet.

Man can do the same physical work every day.
Man cannot do the same mental work every day.

When man used to do physical work ( farming and related activities ) he could do the same repetitive work day after day- generation after generation.

After the Industrial Revolution when man switched-over to mental work he
began a never ending process of making new machines / things / products--
a process which can only end with the complete destruction of environment ( planet ).

The nature of mental work is such that man has to do new mental work every day- in fact he has to do new mental work every moment- Man cannot repeat in the next moment the mental work that he has already done in the previous moment.

A mathematician cannot solve the same problem of mathematics every day- once he has solved it he will be forced to take up a new( unsolved) problem. Even when he is solving one particular problem he has to move from one step to another - there is a continuous change involved -- there is no constancy at any stage.

An engineer cannot design the same machine again and again –once he has made a machine he will try to make changes/ design a new one.

A writer cannot write the same article every day- he will be forced to write something new every day/ every moment (This is also the reason behind endless discussions/ debates/ arguments).

Discussions, Debates and Arguments.

Let us examine how much discussion we are collectively having in Industrial Society every day.

Millions of pages in print – newspapers / books / magazines.
Millions of web-pages on internet every day.

Now add to this all the conversation (discussion) we are having through radio / television / telephone and several other media every day.

And add to this all the discussion we are having through face-to-face interaction.

The volume of discussion per individual in one week is greater than the total discussion someone living in pre-industrial society would have in his entire life.

There is too much discussion in modern society.
Discussion is not solving our problems – discussion itself has become a problem – a gigantic problem.

A society that does mental work will discuss itself to destruction [extinction]

A society that does mental work will argue itself to destruction [extinction]

A society that does mental work will debate itself to destruction [extinction]

A society that does mental work can never stop discussions / debates / arguments – it is impossible. It will discuss / debate / argue till the last moment of it’s existence.

Discussions / Debates / Arguments – these are creations of a society that has switched-over from physical work to mental work.

Discussions / Debates / Arguments – these are diseases of a society that has switched-over from physical work to mental work.

Discussions / debates / arguments can end only in agriculture-based societies that do physical work.

We cannot do physical-work and mental-work simultaneously.

There is an inverse relationship between physical-work and mental-work.
If one is high [more] the other has got to be low [less]

If we want to do physical work we have to reduce mental activity by the same proportion. If we want to do mental work we have to reduce physical activity by the same proportion.

There is very little discussion / debate / argument in societies that do physical work - ie, agriculture-based societies - And this is the reason why they are millions of times saner than industrial societies.

Change is an inherent feature of mental work.

Since change is an inherent feature of mental work - a society that does mental work can never be at peace with itself – it is impossible.

A society that does mental work will always be restless.

Only those societies that do physical work [agriculture and related activities] can find contentment and peace.

AS LONG AS CITIES EXIST WE CAN NEITHER SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT NOR THE MIND.

To save the [ remaining ] environment from destruction man will have to return back to physical work [ smaller communities ].

To save the mind from mental diseases man will have to return back to physical work [ smaller communities ].

Criminality and Abnormality.

Industrial Society has collectively killed billions of Animals and Trees [ Remember -plant and animal species developed over a period of millions of years]

It has also killed most of Water and Air [ Please note - polluting Water and Air is equivalent to killing Water and Air ]

The soil was not fertile when the earth was created. It became fertile - very slowly - over a period of millions of years. And look what man has done - He has covered millions and millions of hectares of land with cement and concrete. All the land that has been covered with cement and concrete has been killed.

Man has stockpiled thousands of tons of highly radioactive nuclear material and nuclear waste which is going to remain highly radioactive and carcinogenic for the next thousands of years - and which has already leaked into the environment hundreds of times.

What could be more criminal than this.
What could be more abnormal than this.

Lawyers and Judges are trying to catch a few criminals.
They don’t realize the entire Industrial Society is criminal.

Psychologists and Psychiatrists are trying to classify a few people as abnormal. They don’t realize the entire Industrial Society is abnormal.

Industrial Society is collectively making millions of tons of weapons and explosives [of all kinds] every year – and then it wonders why there is so much violence in this world.

Big Mystery.

If you make millions of tons of weapons and explosives on earth they are going to be used on earth – they are not going to be used on Mars.

There was a time when Man knew nothing about the number of species and
millions of species existed. Today Man knows the names of millions of species and nothing is left of the species.

After destroying millions of highly-developed species on earth Man is today searching for a few molecules of life in outer-space.

If a few microbes, a few molecules of methane / water are found on Mars - it becomes the newspaper headline.

They call it progress.

The following is about to come true.

Nature can exist

(1) before man.
(2) after man.
(3) not with man.

Environment can be saved only if we stop production of most [ more than
99% ] of the consumer goods we are making today.

ENVIRONMENT CANNOT BE SAVED BY RECYCLING

THE ATTEMPT OF AN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT BY RECYCLING IS LIKE SHOOTING SOMEONE
10,000 TIMES AND THEN TRYING TO SAVE HIM BY TAKING OUT ONE BULLET.

Time is running out for this planet.

Yours Sincerely,
Sushil Yadav

Please note :

Fast emotions = emotions associated with fast visuals/fast words/fast breathing/fast heart-rate.
Slow emotions = emotions associated with slow visuals/slow words/slow breathing/slow heart-rate.
Rate of thinking = number of visuals/words processed per minute.
Gaps between thinking = gaps between visuals/ words/ sentences.

I am seeking help from volunteers in spreading this message far and wide.

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

Randy Pausch

aleksonder — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:07:10 GMT

Short summarized ten minute video:

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw

* Work and play well with others
* Live with integrity
-Tell the truth
-Apologize properly
1. I'm sorry.
2. It was my fault.
3. How do I make it right? (sincerity)
-Wait long enough and people will show you their good side (patient)
* Show gratitude

----------------

More sources: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=randy+pausch&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

The Irishman's watch...

aleksonder — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:54:05 GMT

An Irishman is sitting at a bar in New York City and looks at his watch several times in the space of a few minutes.

The woman sitting nearby notices this and asks, 'Is your date running late?'

'No,' he replies, 'I have this state-of-the-art watch. I was just testing it.'

The intrigued woman says, 'A state-of-the-art watch? What's so special about it?'

The Irishman explains, 'It uses alpha waves to talk to me telepathically.'

The lady says, 'What's it telling you now?'

'Well, it says you're not wearing any panties.'

The woman giggles and replies, 'Well, it must be broken because I am wearing panties!'

The Irishman smirks, taps his watch and says, 'Bloody thing's running about an hour fast. Can I buy you a drink?

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

Better than a pet one

lutesaroundtown — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:15:39 GMT

Interesting article about a bunch of rocks:

http://geology.wr.usgs.gov/parks/deva/ftrac1.html

posted in abandoned ship - 3 replies

Old English Money

aleksonder — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 19:54:17 GMT

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/moneyold.htm

posted in abandoned ship - 1 reply

See World's Fastest Train On Video Go 574.8 KPH

aleksonder — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:51:26 GMT

Short clip: http://www.jojas.com/news_details.aspx?newsid=2795

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

Don't You Know Me? (Humor)

aleksonder — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 20:01:25 GMT

A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an attractive woman waving at him. She says hello.

He's rather taken a back because he can't place where he knows her from. So he says, "Do you know me?" To which she replies, "I think you're the father of one of my kids."

Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and he says, "My God, are you the stripper from my bachelor party that I made love to on the pool table with all my buddies watching while your partner whipped my butt with wet celery???"

She looks into his eyes and says calmly, "No, I'm your son's teacher."

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

Solutions are not as challenging as they seem; are they?

aleksonder — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:18:34 GMT

MENSA is an organization whose members have an IQ of 140 or higher. A few years ago, during a MENSA Convention in San Francisco several members lunched at a local cafe. They noticed that their salt shaker contained pepper and their pepper shaker was full of salt. How could they swap the contents of the bottles without spilling and using only the implements at hand? Clearly, this was a job for MENSA!

The group debated and finally came up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, a straw and an empty saucer. They called the waitress over to dazzle her with their solution. "Ma'am," they said, "we couldn't help but notice that the pepper shaker contains salt and the salt shaker..."

"Oh," the waitress interrupted. "Sorry about that." So she unscrewed the caps of both and switched them.

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

Awesome Video You Need to See Before You Start Holiday Shopping

aleksonder — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:22:20 GMT

This video may make you laugh, and it may make you cry, but it will definitely change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

Top Seven Weirdest Houses

aleksonder — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:25:05 GMT

These houses are so unique that they even push the borders of reality.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/12/8/top-seven-weirdest-houses.aspx

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

Painting found in trash sells for over one million dollars!

aleksonder — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 19:09:27 GMT

NEW YORK - An abstract masterpiece by a Mexican artist that was found in the trash by a woman who knew little about modern art has been sold for more than $1 million.

The painting "Tres Personajes" by Rufino Tamayo was discovered in 2003 by Elizabeth Gibson, who spotted it on her morning walk on Manhattan's Upper West Side. She said she took it home because "even though I didn't understand it, I knew it had power."

The brightly colored abstract work was purchased for $1,049,000 by an unidentified private American collector bidding by phone at Sotheby's Latin American Art sale Tuesday night.

Gibson spent four years trying to find out about the painting, finally discovering on the "Antiques Roadshow" Web site that it had been featured on the popular PBS program and described as a missing masterpiece stolen in 1989.

Gibson has received a $15,000 reward for turning in "Tres Personajes" and also will get a percentage of the sale price.

Painted in 1970, "Tres Personajes" was purchased by a Houston collector for $55,000 as a gift for his wife at a Sotheby's auction in 1977. Ten years later, as the couple was moving to a new home, it was stolen from storage.

The husband has since died, and the widow, who wished to remain anonymous, decided to sell it.

Tamayo was born in 1899 and died in 1991. His early work has similarities to that of famed 20th century muralist Diego Rivera. His later work features the vivid colors and expressions of his native state of Oaxaca

SEE PAINTING HERE: http://www.jojas.com/news_details.aspx?newsid=1998

posted in abandoned ship - 7 replies

Serious Question Here ----

d2a — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 03:02:30 GMT

What's for Dinner?

posted in abandoned ship - 7 replies

Could Smoking Pot Be Good for Teens?

aleksonder — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:08:48 GMT

If you follow the White House's twisted logic, the answer could be yes.

A new study from Switzerland raises the question: Might marijuana actually be good for teens? The answer is almost certainly no, but if one follows the logic used by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP, aka the Drug Czar's office), the answer would be, "In some ways, yes."

If that seems confusing, allow me to explain.

The Swiss study, just published in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine was based on a survey of 5,263 students, aged 16-20. Scientists compared teens who smoked both cigarettes and marijuana, those who used only marijuana, and those who abstained from both substances. The results were surprising.

By pretty much all measures, the youths using both marijuana and tobacco were doing the worst. Compared to those using marijuana only, they had poorer grades, were less likely to finish school, more likely to be depressed and more likely to get drunk frequently. Their marijuana use was also much more frequent than the marijuana-only group, and they were much more likely to have started smoking marijuana before age 15.

But the marijuana-only teens were strikingly similar to the abstainers, with very few statistically significant differences. The marijuana smokers were more likely to skip school but had comparable grades and were just as likely to finish their schooling as the abstainers. The marijuana users had more "sensation-seeking" personalities, which -- not surprisingly -- translated to somewhat higher use of alcohol or other drugs than the abstainers. But the marijuana-only group's use of alcohol and other drugs was far lower than the marijuana/cigarette group.

And in some ways the teens using marijuana looked better than the abstainers. They had better peer relationships, were more likely to be involved in sports and more likely to be on an academic (as opposed to vocational) track in school.

But these associations, as researchers call them, do not prove cause and effect. Just because A and B happen together tells nothing about whether A causes B, B causes A, or some third factor causes both A and B.

And that's where the Drug Czar gets into trouble. ONDCP regularly uses such correlations to frighten parents about marijuana in an utterly dishonest way. For example, an ONDCP ad published in major newspapers and magazines around the country bore the headline, "Marijuana can limit your teen's academic achievement." It went on to warn parents, "Marijuana use is linked to poorer grades. A teen with a 'D' average is four times more likely to have used marijuana than a teen with an 'A' average."

Well, yes, there was a study showing such an association, but just like the Swiss study, it did not and could not prove that marijuana caused the poorer grades. Indeed, there is a small mountain of evidence suggesting that it's the teens doing poorly in school who start smoking marijuana at a young age in the first place.

So by ONDCP's logic, it should now start running ads telling parents that smoking marijuana is linked to better peer relationships, involvement in athletics and more interest in academics. Don't hold your breath.

(It's worth noting here that there are good reasons to urge teens not to smoke marijuana. Some things, like psychoactive drugs, are simply best handled after one has acquired a bit of experience and maturity. Second, there are still unanswered questions about marijuana's effect on developing brains. Given that the brain uses marijuanalike chemicals as part of its natural communication system, pouring in large amounts of similar compounds while that neural circuitry is still developing seems needlessly risky until more is known.)

What the Swiss study does, if policymakers would only listen, is suggest that ONDCP's obsessive focus on stamping out even occasional marijuana use is misguided. The serious public health problem isn't good students who light up an occasional joint with friends on weekends, much as we might prefer they not do so. The real problem is the population of kids, clearly identifiable in the Swiss research, using multiple substances at an early age and having all sorts of problems at school and home. These kids -- more depressed, less likely to finish school and using heavy amounts of marijuana, booze and other drugs -- exist in the United States as well as Switzerland, and they clearly need help that many aren't getting.

For most of these teens, substance use likely wasn't the original cause of their problems, but it's almost certainly making them worse. ONDCP could be helping parents and schools identify these kids and get them help. Instead, officials cherry-pick data to bolster an ideological agenda while ignoring the real problem.

Source and other links found here: http://www.alternet.org/stories/67461/

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Quick, say aloud what color U C in every word, NOT the word U read.

aleksonder — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 01:34:14 GMT

http://www.snre.umich.edu/eplab/demos/st0/stroop_program/stroopgraphicnonshockwave.gif

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SPIRITUALITY vs. RELIGION (a thought provoking forward)

aleksonder — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:56:42 GMT

SPIRITUALITY SAYS THAT GOD IS WITHIN US AND THAT WE DON'T NEED ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE THAT DIVINE CONNECTION FOR US.

RELIGION SAYS THAT WE ARE SEPARATED FROM GOD AND THAT WE NEED "THEM" TO MAKE THAT DIVINE CONNECTION.

SPIRITUALITY SAYS THAT WE ARE FREE TO MAKE CHOICES ON OUR OWN AND THAT WE MUST TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR ACTIONS.

RELIGION SAYS WE MUST MAKE THEIR CHOICES AND ACT THEIR WAY.

THE THEME OF SPIRITUALITY IS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

THE THEME OF RELIGION IS FEAR AND GUILT.

SPIRITUALITY DOES NOT REQUIRE US TO MAKE DONATIONS.

RELIGION HAS BECOME BIG BUSINESS.

SPIRITUALITY SAYS THERE IS NO HELL, NO JUDGEMENT, NO ANGRY GOD... THAT WE ARE LOVED UNCONDITIONALLY.

RELIGION SAYS THERE IS A HELL, GOD GETS ANGRY AND JUDGES US... THEREFORE, WE ARE NOT LOVED UNCONDITIONALLY.

SPIRITUALITY SAYS WE ARE FREE TO CHOOSE OUR OWN PATH TO GOD.

RELIGION COMMANDS US TO DO IT THEIR WAY.

SPIRITUALITY SAYS WE GO TO GOD TO LIGHTEN OUR BURDEN.

RELIGION HAS TAUGHT US TO FEAR THEIR GOD

SPIRITUALITY SAYS WE SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF OUR SEXUALITY... THAT IT SHOULD BE A SACRED CELEBRATION OF LOVE

RELIGION HAS TAUGHT US TO FEEL ASHAMED, GUILTY AND DIRTY ABOUT OUR SEXUALITY

SPIRITUALITY TEACHES US TO HONOUR AND RESPECT MOTHER EARTH

RELIGION HAS TOLD US TO "BE THOU FRUITFUL, MULTIPLY AND SUBDUE THE EARTH" I REPEAT... "SUBDUE THE EARTH"

SPIRITUALITY REMINDS US THAT WE ARE ONE WITH GOD AND ONE WITH EACH OTHER

RELIGION TEACHES DISUNITY AND SEPARATION WHICH IS THE OPPOSITE OF GOD

SPIRITUALITY SAYS GOD IS WITHIN

RELIGION SAYS HE IS IN HEAVEN AND THAT "THEY" ARE THE ONLY INTERMEDIARIES FOR US

SPIRITUALITY SAYS WE ARE BORN IN INNOCENCE AND PURITY

RELIGION SAYS WE ARE BORN WITH SIN

SPIRITUALITY TEACHES THAT WE ARE ON A LONG SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE AND JOURNEY WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY END BY REUNITING WITH OUR SOURCE

RELIGION SAYS WE'VE GOT ONE LIFE TO GET IT ALL RIGHT AND THERE IS NOTHING BUT HEAVEN OR HELL AFTER THAT

SPIRITUALITY SAYS WE ARE FREE TO EXPRESS

RELIGION GAVE US THE DREADED INQUISITION

SPIRITUALITY TEACHES UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR ALL

RELIGION GAVE US THE CRUSADES IN WHICH MANY WERE KILLED AND SLAUGHTERED IN THE NAME OF GOD

SPIRITUALITY TEACHES THAT WE SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER UNCONDITIONALLY AND ALWAYS HONOUR THE RIGHTS AND CHOICES OF OTHERS

RELIGION TREATED NATIVE AMERICANS, THE MAYANS AND OTHER INDIGENOUS CULTURES AS SAVAGE PRIMITIVES WHO "MUST BE SAVED"

SPIRITUALITY TEACHES PEACE AND HARMONY

RELIGION HAS CAUSED MORE WARS AND MORE KILLING THAN ANY OTHER REASON

SPIRITUALITY SAYS RESPECT ALL LIVING THINGS

I NEVER ONCE HEARD ANY RELIGION SAY STOP SLAUGHTERING MILLIONS OF TREES EVERY YEAR FOR CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY

SPIRITUALITY TEACHES US TO HAVE FAITH IN OURSELVES

RELIGION TEACHES US TO HAVE FAITH IN THEM

SPIRITUALITY SAYS WE HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS... THAT WE CAN FIND THEM BY "GOING WITHIN"

RELIGION TEACHES US THAT IT HAS ALL THE ANSWERS AND ONLY ITS ANSWERS ARE THE RIGHT ONES

SPIRITUALITY TEACHES US TO SEARCH FOR THE UNIVERSAL TRUTHS AND OUR HEARTS WILL TELL US WHEN WE HAVE FOUND THEM

RELIGION TEACHES WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ACCEPT THEIR VERSION OF THE TRUTH

WHICH ONE FEELS BETTER TO YOU? SPIRITUALITY OR RELIGION?

GO TO YOUR HEART FOR THE ANSWER. IT WILL NEVER LIE TO YOU.

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The Future of Cities:

aleksonder — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:51:05 GMT

How Sprawl & Racism are Intertwined

Q. For the first time in human history, more than 50 percent of people now live in urban areas. Where does the city fit in your conception of environmental sustainability?

VJ: Cities have the capacity to sink or save the planet. The future of all humanity, and most species and systems, will be determined by what we choose to do with cities. The idea that the environment is about critters and creeks is a thing of the past. We have to be thinking about these things in terms of consumption and disposal processes of mega-cities.

Q. Sprawl has a negative impact not only on farmland and open space but on life in urban areas. How did this pattern of sprawl and gentrification develop? Who wins and loses?

VJ: Sprawl is a response to racial fear and anxiety on the part of white elites. The 'burbs were designed as a vehicle to get away from people of color, investing more in the white infrastructure as they moved away from the city, and the neighborhoods where people of color live. The other side of that is the disinvestment for the communities that remain behind; the money follows the new suburban development. Those that remain in the inner city continue to lose in this scenario.

Q. You've talked about cities and land use as issues that interest many groups: the suburbanites, environmentalists, and inner-city residents. If both environmentalists and inner-city residents have an interest in stopping sprawl, what's preventing them from working together?

VJ: Racism. It is the reason that people move away from each other. People don't want to talk about why people call this a "good" neighborhood or that one a "bad" neighborhood, but often it has to do with the race of the people that live there. White people divorce themselves from the bad neighborhoods and move to the suburbs. The black community has a lot of built-up feelings about our history, about the racism we experience. There is some healing that needs to take place there, so these communities have some issues, and don't want to work with each other, necessarily. There are a lot of feelings there.

Q. Many environmentalists genuinely want to work with other communities to address these issues of common interest. What is thwarting those efforts?

VJ: Those folks often speak about working together through "outreach" -- outreach in the sense of "outreaching to" these people or those people. Outreaching to the black community: "Well, we outreached to them so 'they' could hear our agenda and get onboard with what we are saying." This, as opposed to saying "let's go make some friends," building relationships, creating relationships. Figuring things out from a place where everyone's views are included. Relationships are give and take, mutual aid and help. Outreaching is the white thing, it's about bringing folks into what you are doing, and does not necessarily convey understanding.

Q. What is the effect of the prison industrial complex (especially juvenile prisons) on communities, particularly communities of color, and how does that system impede progress toward a green city revolution?

VJ: The incarceration industry is the new Jim Crow; you don't have to call him the "N word" if you just call him a felon. There are the same amount of drug problems in the 'burbs that there are in the inner city, but in the 'burbs the white kids get counseling, they don't go to prison. Generally speaking, they only call the police in the 'hood. The system has responded with compassion to white kids.

Again, the new Jim Crow is incarceration. This is the barrier that separates people from the lives they want to live. You go to the back of the line as a felon. You lose your voting rights, can't get a good job, you're denied student loans. It is devastating. We spend less money on public schools than on locking people up; it's far easier to go to prison than to get a scholarship.

This distorts economic development. The current economic strategy is to take poor black kids, put them in jail in rural areas, and give poor white kids jobs as guards in that prison. That is the economic strategy. Rural towns can't compete with industry, farms are all going away, so prison is an economic boon for rural communities. Come on, we can't come up with a better strategy than that? In California, for example, nearly 10 percent of the state budget goes to the prison system, and that could grow to 15 percent or even higher. When you lock up a state budget like that, where is the money to retrofit buildings for energy efficiency?

California is supposed to be a leader in terms of being clean and energy efficient. So now, put these two together. If you take guards and prisoners and send them all home, then give them green city jobs instead. We could be retrofitting urban America instead of lives laying to waste. Send them home with good work, with a mission, and real job skills, and provide them with opportunity.

We can have a Gulag or a green economy. But we can't have both. If we train former prisoners and guards to put up solar panels, they are already on their way to becoming electrical engineers. If we train them to double pane glass, they are on their way to be a glazer: a good union job and green path out of poverty. Bamboo, it's so different than timber, you can cut it and it grows back quickly. If we can train folks to do the green thing, they can then walk to the front of the line in an economy based on green jobs instead of an economy from pollution-based jobs. That is where these issues connect. What we need is a green wave that can lift all boats, that can lift folks out of poverty.

Q. How important is it to nurture efforts at grassroots democracy? How can larger groups -- national groups -- help without taking over?

VJ: It's all got to come together, but it's not easy. The national groups don't mean to take over and the local groups can sometimes be schizophrenic: They want and need the help from the big players, but can also resent it. The national groups can find that having the grassroots connections gives their work legitimacy-it's sexy these days to have the grassroots contacts, sexy and cool-but they also have some contempt for the grassroots groups at the same time. Everyone just has to figure it out, make it work. Case by case.

Q. You have said that "We are the heroes we've been waiting for." Can you discuss what "going local" means in terms of creating big change?

VJ: I believe it's a both/and. I believe in both "bottom up" and "top down." Focusing on the local is great, but you need federal government on your side to make the big changes; we learned that in the civil rights movement. The federal government has got to be provoked into action. The local economy can't solve the problems by itself, and some problems are too big to solve by local action alone.

Change is bottom up and top down. The grassroots have to push, and the top needs to push. It's sort of an inside-outside strategy. Everybody is going to have to do some work. There is no magic answer, no silver bullet. It's going to be a group effort, cross-organizational. We need to share and play well with others; be flexible and learn from each other. The big change is going to take 20, 30, 40 years. Hopefully, in terms of ecological collapse, we'll get it together enough in the next 10 years to buy us the time we need to do the work that will take longer. But we're going to have to do it together.

------------------Source: http://www.alternet.org/environment/65404/?page=entire -------------------------

This above conversation with Van Jones is an excerpt from the new book Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots (PoliPointPress, 2007) by Kevin Danaher, Shannon Biggs, and Jason Mark.

Van Jones is a passionate civil rights and human rights advocate. He combines practical solutions to problems of social inequality and environmental destruction, focusing on green economic opportunities for urban America. Jones grew up in rural Tennessee, graduated from Yale Law School, and works and lives in Oakland, California. He is the Co-Founder and President of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, which seeks to replace the U.S. incarceration industry with community-based solutions.

More on the book can be found here: http://www.powells.com/essays/mark.html

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An abandoned ship...

aleksonder — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:51:00 GMT

is a deserted vessel that is typically used for transporting people or goods by sea or air.

Before your captain returns, it's time to prepare for the next launch. T minus 10 and counting down...

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Giving more than 100%

christiev — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 04:09:35 GMT

I have a new part time job. On my first day I noticed this posted to the wall in the office. I thought it quite amusing, so today I wrote it down to share with you all here:

This equation should be taught in all math classes!

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint it goes like this:

What makes 100%? What does it mean to give more than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26,

then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

And look how far ass kissing will take you:

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while *hardwork* and *knowledge* will get you close, and *attitude* will get you there, it's the *bullshit* and *ass kissing* that will put you over the top.

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Add one of your own original witty quotes here:

aleksonder — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 18:22:58 GMT

"Finding common sense is rather uncommon no matter how sensible it may appear to be."

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First Date

aleksonder — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 03:27:02 GMT

If you didn't see this on the Tonight show, I hope you're sitting down when you read it. This is probably the funniest date story ever, first date or not!!!

We have all had bad dates, but this takes the cake. Jay Leno went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize! She said it was midwinter... snowing and quite cold...and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before.

The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while.

Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car. They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.

Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.

Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date's concerns about "what is taking so long" with a reply that indeed, she was "freezing her butt off and in need of some assistance!" He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem.

Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender.

As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down... or perhaps that should be "pants down." And you thought your first date was embarrassing. Jay Leno's comment . "This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off.

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Balance (Short video clip)

aleksonder — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:02:59 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWT3p7uM6Y

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#8/11 Happiness

aleksonder — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 23:00:44 GMT

From: Bhutan
Boost your country's GNH today!

By Lyonpo Jigmi Y. Thinley

Governments usually aim to achieve the highest possible economic growth as measured by the gross national product (GNP), which is how the world looks at progress. In Bhutan, however, we believe this is a narrow view that traps people in cages of materialism. All that humanity sacrifices at the altar of materialist progress to appease insatiable wants has not been in the best interests of furthering human civilization.

The king of Bhutan introduced the concept of gross national happiness (GNH), which is based on the idea that true development of society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. That's why for the past two decades, happiness has been incorporated as a guiding principle in Bhutan's policies.

Over the years, we've made Bhutan greener than most countries and despite the advent of satellite TV and the Internet, the social fabric is still intact. These policies have also made Bhutan more secure than ever before. To us, these are all indications that our policies are beginning to realize the goal of making people happy. And that's what all of us want: to find more ways we can engage in the pursuit of happiness.

Lyonpo Jigmi Y. Thinley is the former home minister of Bhutan, a small kingdom in the Himalayan Mountains.

See all 11 here: http://www.alternet.org/stories/65847/?page=entire

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$65 million lawsuit over a pair of missing pants

aleksonder — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 20:29:34 GMT

May 3, 6:55 AM (ET)

By LUBNA TAKRURI

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Chungs, immigrants from South Korea, realized their American dream when they opened their dry-cleaning business seven years ago in the nation's capital. For the past two years, however, they've been dealing with the nightmare of litigation: a $65 million lawsuit over a pair of missing pants.

Jin Nam Chung, Ki Chung and their son, Soo Chung, are so disheartened that they're considering moving back to Seoul, said their attorney, Chris Manning, who spoke on their behalf.

"They're out a lot of money, but more importantly, incredibly disenchanted with the system," Manning said. "This has destroyed their lives."

The lawsuit was filed by a District of Columbia administrative hearings judge, Roy Pearson, who has been representing himself in the case.

Pearson did not return phone calls and e-mails Wednesday from The Associated Press requesting comment.

According to court documents, the problem began in May 2005 when Pearson became a judge and brought several suits for alteration to Custom Cleaners in Northeast Washington, a place he patronized regularly despite previous disagreements with the Chungs. A pair of pants from one suit was not ready when he requested it two days later, and was deemed to be missing.

Pearson asked the cleaners for the full price of the suit: more than $1,000.

But a week later, the Chungs said the pants had been found and refused to pay. That's when Pearson decided to sue.

Manning said the cleaners made three settlement offers to Pearson. First they offered $3,000, then $4,600, then $12,000. But Pearson wasn't satisfied and expanded his calculations beyond one pair of pants.

Because Pearson no longer wanted to use his neighborhood dry cleaner, part of his lawsuit calls for $15,000 - the price to rent a car every weekend for 10 years to go to another business.

"He's somehow purporting that he has a constitutional right to a dry cleaner within four blocks of his apartment," Manning said.

But the bulk of the $65 million comes from Pearson's strict interpretation of D.C.'s consumer protection law, which fines violators $1,500 per violation, per day. According to court papers, Pearson added up 12 violations over 1,200 days, and then multiplied that by three defendants.

Much of Pearson's case rests on two signs that Custom Cleaners once had on its walls: "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "Same Day Service."

Based on Pearson's dissatisfaction and the delay in getting back the pants, he claims the signs amount to fraud.

Pearson has appointed himself to represent all customers affected by such signs, though D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz, who will hear the June 11 trial, has said that this is a case about one plaintiff, and one pair of pants.

Sherman Joyce, president of the American Tort Association, has written a letter to the group of men who will decide this week whether to renew Pearson's 10-year appointment. Joyce is asking them to reconsider.

Chief Administrative Judge Tyrone Butler had no comment regarding Pearson's reappointment.

The association, which tries to police the kind of abusive lawsuits that hurt small businesses, also has offered to buy Pearson the suit of his choice.

And former National Labors Relations Board chief administrative law judge Melvin Welles wrote to The Washington Post to urge "any bar to which Mr. Pearson belongs to immediately disbar him and the District to remove him from his position as an administrative law judge."

"There has been a significant groundswell of support for the Chungs," said Manning, adding that plans for a defense fund Web site are in the works.

To the Chungs and their attorney, one of the most frustrating aspects of the case is their claim that Pearson's gray pants were found a week after Pearson dropped them off in 2005. They've been hanging in Manning's office for more than a year.

Pearson claims in court documents that his pants had blue and red pinstripes.

"They match his inseam measurements. The ticket on the pants match his receipt," Manning said.

www.customcleanersdefensefund.com/

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An amazingly talented musician

aleksonder — Mon, 28 May 2007 23:52:23 GMT

Watch this spectacular piano medley in its entirety. (around 2 million views)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neAiLZcy8Qk

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Funny guy, there are still a few of us rats about...

lutesaroundtown — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:30:52 GMT

Was wondering WTF you were doing. I didn't recognize the tribe name and thus it drew my attention (calling me a moth is fitting at this point). Sorry for being as absent as the rest of the lot, I think forgetfulness isn’t really such a good excuse as all that, really, but let me claim it anyway. I hope my friend you are doing well. How's the music biz? I wish I had DSL or cable so that I could download your work for an easy listen. As it is, it takes forever and the quality or sound isn't what you or I would have it, though I find your music pleasant enough.

It’s the same old stuff my way with music, writing, cooking and the odd ends lying about. What ever happened to this tribe anyway? It was so active at one point and I can't imagine the tumbleweeds I've seen of late.

Best of springs to you, Steve.

posted in abandoned ship - 8 replies

abandoned ship

lutesaroundtown — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 18:49:36 GMT

abandoned ship

The rats have fled then,
a tumbleweed rumbles;
without a receiver,
the quarterback fumbles.
What is a grave
without any stone?
What is the house
without a road home?

Thanks then for tossing,
the friendship I caught;
a kindness remembered,
some may have forgot.
Thanks friend for walking
a short way with me;
away from the party
where they jumped to the sea.

Thanks friend, for taking
this short time with me.

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Changing a light bulb...

aleksonder — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 14:07:36 GMT

How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb?
One, but the bulb has to want to change.

****
How many Jungian psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb?
Couldn't you come up with several different answers?

*********
How many new-age therapists does it take to change a lightbulb?
None. The lightbulb will find it's own way out of the socket. You just have to be supportive.

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Two friends

lutesaroundtown — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 10:06:36 GMT

Friend, insomnia has taken me to its breast again, and in a flash, I remembered the Neitsche quote and where I last heard it. Check out “Saint Ralph” the movie if you’ve the chance. It 's close akin spiritually to my last short story, though altogether in another curvature. ; )~ S

The song…

I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this...the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall
The major lift
The baffled King composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.

She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne
She cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Maybe I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you.

I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know
What's real and going on below
But now you never show it to me, do you?

And remember when I moved in you
The holy dark was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Maybe there's a God above
And all I ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.

And it's not a cry you can hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

~ Leonard Cohen

posted in abandoned ship - 1 reply

Potentially vs. Realistically

aleksonder — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 23:34:42 GMT

A boy went up to his father and asked him, "Dad, what is the difference between potentially and realistically?"

The father thought for a moment, then answered, "Go ask your mother she would sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars." Then ask your sister if she would sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars, and then, ask your brother if he'd sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars. Come back and tell me what you learn from that.

So the boy went to his mother and asked, "Would you sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars?"

The mother replied, "Of course I would! We could really use that money to fix up the house and send you kids to a great University!"

The boy then went to his sister and asked, "Would you sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars?"

The girl replied, "Oh my God! I LOVE Brad Pitt I would sleep with him in a heart beat! Are you nuts?!?"

The boy then went to his brother and asked, "Would you sleep with Brad Pitt for a million dollars?"

Of course," the brother replied. "Do you know how much a million bucks would buy?"

The boy pondered the answers for a few days, then went back to his dad.

His father asked him, "Did you find out the difference between potentially and realistically?"

The boy replied, "Yes... Potentially, you and I are sitting on three million dollars, but Realistically, we're living with two sluts and a queer."

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Harleys

aleksonder — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 03:16:19 GMT

The inventor of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, Arthur Davidson, died and went to heaven.

At the gates, St. Peter told Arthur, "Since you've been such a good man and your motorcycles have changed the world, your reward is that you can hang out with anyone you want to in heaven."

Arthur thought about it for a minute and then said, "I want to hang out with God."

St. Peter took Arthur to the Throne Room, and introduced him to God.

God recognized Arthur and commented, "Okay, so you were the one who invented the Harley-Davidson motorcycle?"

Arthur said, "Yeah, that's me...."

God commented: "Well, what's the big deal in inventing something that's pretty unstable, makes noise and pollution and can't run without a road?"

Arthur was apparently embarrassed, but finally spoke, "Excuse me, but aren't you the inventor of woman?"

God said, " Ah, yes."

"Well ," said Arthur, "professional to professional, you have some major design flaws in your invention:

1. There's too much inconsistency in the front-end protrusion
2. It chatters constantly at high speeds
3. Most rear ends are too soft and wobble too much
4. The intake is placed way too close to the exhaust
5. The maintenance costs are outrageous!!!!

"Hmmmmm, you may have some good points there," replied God, "hold on."

God went to his Celestial supercomputer, typed in a few words and waited for the results. The computer printed out a slip of paper and God read it.

"Well, it may be true that my invention is flawed," God said to Arthur, "but according to these numbers, more men are riding my invention than yours."

posted in abandoned ship - 1 reply

GOOD LUCK MR. GORSKY! (A TRUE STORY)

aleksonder — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 02:41:14 GMT

ON JULY 20, 1969, AS COMMANDER OF THE APOLLO 11 LUNAR MODULE, NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.

HIS FIRST WORDS AFTER STEPPING ON THE MOON, "THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND," WERE TELEVISED TO EARTH AND HEARD BY MILLIONS.

BUT JUST BEFORE HE REENTERED THE LANDER, HE MADE THE ENIGMATIC REMARK, "GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY."

MANY PEOPLE AT NASA THOUGH IT WAS A CASUAL REMARK CONCERNING SOME RIVAL SOVIET COSMONAUT.

HOWEVER, UPON CHECKING, THERE WAS NO GORSKY IN EITHER THE RUSSIAN OR AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAMS.

OVER THE YEARS MANY PEOPLE QUESTIONED ARMSTRONG AS TO WHAT THE "GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY... STATEMENT MEANT, BUT ARMSTRONG ALWAYS JUST SMILED.

ON JULY 5, 1995, IN TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA, WHILE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOLLOWING A SPEECH, A REPORTER BROUGHT UP THE 26-YEAR-OLD QUESTION TO ARMSTRONG. THIS TIME HE FINALLY RESPONDED.

MR. GORSKY HAD DIED, SO NEIL ARMSTRONG FELT HE COULD ANSWER THE QUESTION.

IN 1938 WHEN HE WAS A KID IN A SMALL MID-WEST TOWN, HE WAS PLAYING BASEBALL WITH A FRIEND IN THE BACKYARD.

HIS FRIEND HIT THE BALL, WHICH LANDED IN HIS NEIGHBOR'S YARD BY THE BEDROOM WINDOWS.

HIS NEIGHBORS WERE MR. AND MRS. GORSKY.

AS HE LEANED DOWN TO PICK UP THE BALL, YOUNG ARMSTRONG HEARD MRS. GORSKY SHOUTING AT MR. GORSKY.

"SEX! YOU WANT SEX?! YOU'LL GET SEX WHEN THE KID NEXT DOOR WALKS ON THE MOON!"

posted in abandoned ship - 6 replies

What are your January goals?

aleksonder — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:36:29 GMT

This month for me is about consolidation. It's time to cut the fat and start reducing. I'm going thru my storage and eliminating "extra" clutter, loading up "extra" clothing and bag it up for goodwill and donating to public library "extra" CDs, books, and videos. Last night I trimmed back my over 200 "extra" tribes down to those that get I most frequently visit. I'm now focusing in on key songs in my songwriting portfolio and pushing even harder as I get my music out there. I'm setting the stage for 2007 to be a great year!

How about you?

posted in abandoned ship - 3 replies

MISSING LADLE

aleksonder — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 15:32:58 GMT

Brian invited his mother over for dinner. During the course of the meal, Brian's mother couldn't help but notice how beautiful Brian's roommate, Jennifer, was. Brian's mother had long been suspicious of a relationship between Brian and Jennifer, and this had only made her more curious. Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between Brian and Jennifer than met the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Brian volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you Jennifer and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Jennifer came to Brian saying, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?"

Brian said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll send her an e-mail just to be sure. So he sat down and wrote:

Dear Mom,

I'm not saying that you "did" take the gravy ladle from the house, I'm not saying that you "did not" take the gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.

Love,

Brian

* * * * *

Several days later, Brian received an email back from his mother that read:

Dear Son,

I'm not saying that you "do" sleep with Jennifer; I'm not saying that you "do not" sleep with Jennifer. But the fact remains that if Jennifer is sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now.

Love,

Mom

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

THE BATHTUB TEST

aleksonder — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 14:18:26 GMT

It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started.

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

(Careful now... what would you use?)

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

Farmer's Humor

aleksonder — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:47:58 GMT

Ole is a farmer in Minnesota.

He is in need of a new milk cow and hears about a nice one for sale over in Nordakota (that would be 'North Dakota' for you non-Scandahoovians out there).

He drives to Nordakota, finds the farm and looks at the cow.

Ole reaches under to see if she gives milk. When he grabs the teat and pulls...the cow farts.

Ole is very surprised. He looks at the farmer who is selling the cow, then reaches under the cow to try again.

He grabs another teat, pulls, and the cow farts again.

Milk does come out however, so after some discussion with the cow's current owner, Ole decides to buy the cow and take it home.

When he gets back to Minnesota, he calls over his neighbor, Sven, and says, "Hey, Sven, come and look at dis here new cow I yust bought. Pull her teat, and see vat happens."

Sven reaches under, pulls the teat - and the cow farts.

Sven looks at Ole and says, "You bought dis here cow in Nordakota, didn't yah?"

Ole is very surprised since he hadn't told Sven about his trip. Ole replies, "Yah, dats right. But how did you know?"

Sven says, "My wife is from Nordakota."

posted in abandoned ship - 1 reply

Princess & 3 Princes (Humor)

aleksonder — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 18:56:12 GMT

Once upon a time there lived a king. The king had a beautiful daughter, the princess. But there was a problem. Everything the princess touched would melt. No matter what; metal, wood, stone... Anything she touched would melt. Because of this, men were afraid of her. Nobody would dare marry her.

The king despaired. What could he do to help his daughter? He consulted his wizards and magicians. One wizard told the king, "If your daughter touches one thing that does not melt in her hands, she will be cured." The king was overjoyed and came up with a plan.

The next day, he held a competition. Any man that could bring his daughter an object that would not melt would marry her and inherit the king's wealth. Three young princes took up the challenge.

The first brought a sword of the finest steel. But alas, when the princess touched it, it melted. The prince went away sadly.

The second prince brought diamonds. He thought diamonds are the hardest substance in the world and would not melt. But alas, once the princess touched them, they melted. He too was sent away disappointed.

The third prince approached. He told the princess, "Put your hand in my pocket and feel what is in there." The princess did as she was told, though she turned red. She felt something hard. She held it in her hand. And it did not melt!!! The king was overjoyed. Everybody in the kingdom was overjoyed. And the third prince married the princess and they both lived happily ever after.

Question: What was in the prince's pants? (Scroll down for the answer)

M&M's of course.

They melt in your mouth, not in your hand. What were you thinking??

posted in abandoned ship - 0 replies

During random exploration on the internet

aleksonder — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:26:23 GMT

I found this bizarreness...

http://aaaaaaaaa.com

which lead me to find this...

http://uncyclopedia.org

which of course has strangeness like this...

just select "random" pages and find out what I mean!

posted in abandoned ship - 1 reply

Which superhero are you most like?

aleksonder — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 14:44:36 GMT

www.thesuperheroquiz.com/

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

No, don't do it...stop please, stop!

aleksonder — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 15:40:59 GMT

http://www.subliminalmessages.com/175_commercial_lender.htm

posted in abandoned ship - 1 reply

What's new?

aleksonder — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 16:09:35 GMT

Hello all! I've been "away" from tribe.net for a while and noticed a shift in activity. Is tribe doing well nowadays? How often are you on line? Are you keeping in touch with others? Posting anything in other tribes you'd like to share here? Your updates are quite welcome.

posted in abandoned ship - 11 replies

Pinochet Dies: An Early Christmas Gift

justiceputnam — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 03:10:26 GMT

You Always Said Pinochet

(words and music
by Justice Putnam)

(roughly to “You Take The High Road)

I’d always say, “Pinoshay”
You always said, “Pinoshet.”

But what of the names of the
Disappeared before Ya!

I will dance on the grave
Of Augusto “Pinoshay”

And you can spit
If you insist
On Augusto “Pinoshet!”

© 2006 by Justice Putnam
Fleur de Sel Musique
and Mechanisches-Strophe Verlagswesen

http://people.tribe.net/justiceputnam/blog/8628ce37-9738-452d-a0d8-11b2c4a60ac9

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

Up and running

aleksonder — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 23:56:27 GMT

Finally I can invite everyone to visit the web site: http://aleksonder.com

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

Goldilocks moments

lutesaroundtown — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:32:58 GMT

Did you ever find yourself groaning about the weather when knee deep in snow drifts or melting 105 degree heat? These moments are always followed up in my mind with a voice saying "Deal with it."

I'm curious what Goldilocks moments you have?

posted in abandoned ship - 7 replies

Hello!

strawbrygrl — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 18:05:14 GMT

*echo echo echo* Where's everyone gone these days? How are ya'll doing? What's going on everyone?

~Just curious.......

Scarlet XOXO

posted in abandoned ship - 9 replies

That was then and this is now....

aleksonder — Tue, 25 Apr 2006 03:40:48 GMT

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

I notice a new name for this tribe

roger — Mon, 15 May 2006 21:22:38 GMT

And a new mission statement...... here is my fav link ...its like a home page or a web 2.0 bible ...and free mags in pdf as a bonus link....enjoy my friends..

http://popurls.com/

http://www.spotbit.com/main/index.php

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

Starting a wave...

aleksonder — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 04:26:07 GMT

kind of like at a sports game where everybody just stands up and cheers for the home team.

posted in abandoned ship - 5 replies

Interesting words are posted here!

aleksonder — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 12:36:05 GMT

yen \YEN\ noun

: a strong desire or propensity : longing; also: urge, craving

Example sentence:
"I feel a sudden yen for chocolate ice cream," said Norton as he turned the car into the parking lot of the roadside ice cream stand.

Did you know?
Although "yen" suggests no more than a strong longing these days, at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble indeed. The first meaning of "yen" was an intense craving for opium. The late 19th-century English term evolved from the Cantonese "yīn-yáhn," which itself combines "yīn," meaning "opium," and "yáhn," meaning "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were transformed to "yen-yen" and ultimately abbreviated to simply "yen." Eventually, "yen" was generalized to the more innocuous meaning of "a strong desire," and the link to drug cravings was lost.

posted in abandoned ship - 2 replies

01:02:03 04/05/06

aleksonder — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 04:48:26 GMT

Did you know......

On Wednesday of this week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

This won't ever happen again.

posted in abandoned ship - 10 replies

On Starlight and Fire

justiceputnam — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 03:10:11 GMT

"... It wasn’t that in those early days, there was no violence of nature and of other tribes, quite the opposite. But Herald’s birth-tribe survived because they were strong and many; and instead of attacking any tribe or person they came across, they shared what they had... "

(to read full post)

http://people.tribe.net/justiceputnam/blog&topicId=eab9b6d3-64aa-4170-9707-b88515d38b94

posted in abandoned ship - 5 replies

Stop paying for telephone directory assistance

aleksonder — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 20:03:45 GMT

with this free service:

Go to: www.free411.com

You can also receive free telephone number info by calling 1-800-free-411!

Of course 800 numbers on cell phones are treated like regular phone calls, however there's always the "payphone" that seems to allow free phone calls on 800 numbers. ;-)

posted in abandoned ship - 10 replies

A hidden and clandestine worldview

aleksonder — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 16:50:37 GMT

What I am about to say may stretch your powers of belief. You will have to make up your own mind about the truth or falsity of the view of world history that I am about to relate to you. With that caveat, I present the following "story."

There exists a hidden and clandestine worldview that underlies world events. In order to understand this, we must go back many thousands of years to the Lost Continent of Atlantis. With knowledge of the esoteric history that began in those times, present-day events take on a whole different appearance, and make sense where before they appeared illogical.

In the "Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life," I spoke of a world situation described to me by Thoth, where a new continent rose in the Atlantic ocean about 60-70,000 years ago, stretching from the coast of present-day America all the way to the Gates of Gibraltar. This continent was called Atlantis.

Thoth spoke about how the Tree of Life was placed over this new continent, and Life was breathed into the Tree so that there were ten vortexes rotating precisely within the centers of the circles of the Tree of Life — ten areas of habitation on this new continent.

At this time, the Lemurians — those who had survived the sinking of Lemuria, and who had mostly been living in the area from present-day Northern California to southern Peru — began to find their way to Atlantis. And when they arrived, the Lemurians were attracted to the vortexes, for they harmonized with the Lemurians' particular level of evolution. As it happened, only eight of the vortexes were used by the Lemurians, leaving two completely vacant.

It was in this historical "moment" that something brand new took place on Earth. From a time in the future — and with the permission of Galactic Command — the Jews emerged upon the Earth, and took up residence in one of the two empty vortexes.

At this time, the Jews were an advanced race, returning to Earth because they had made a wrong turn in their evolution. Thoth said they were like school children who didn't understand something and had to "go back" and take a grade over again.

And so the Jews joined their evolution with ours, bringing with them extremely advanced knowledge of the universe. They knew about the living Mer-Ka-Ba, for example. That was how they traveled here (and they secretly retained this knowledge of the Mer-Ka-Ba, in the Star of David and in their sacred writings). The Jews who came to Atlantis also knew about the 72 orders of the angels. And they had much more special knowledge that remains a part of our mystery-school traditions.

If the colonizing of Atlantis had ended there, the war in Iraq would not be happening now. But something else took place in those days — and we are seeing the results.

In a very, very old time of our past, almost a million years ago, the Martians also used Mer-Ka-Ba science. But they did so without knowledge of the living Mer-Ka-Ba field. Instead, they created a physical Mer-Ka-Ba — a ten-mile-high building on Mars — to use as a space/time/dimension vehicle. In this vehicle, and without Galactic permission, they came to Earth and found their way to the 10th vortex on Atlantis. There, they also joined with our evolution here on Earth.

The incoming Martians immediately tried to take control over the Earth. In fact, both the Martians and the Jews were advanced races of beings, and either of them, if unopposed by the other, could eventually have won control. But only the Martians wanted this. The Jews were far more interested in learning the lesson that they had somehow missed in their previous evolutionary pattern.

So the Martians tried to eliminate the Jews, knowing that with the Jews out of the picture they could control everything and everyone else. However, because the Jews were so powerful, because they understood what the Martians' hidden intentions were, and because the Jews were friends with the Lemurians, it was impossible for the Martians to eliminate them. Dramatically outnumbered, unable to take control in those times, the Martians did not give up, however. Instead, they bided their time.

Time continued to flow. Thousands of years went by.

Five hundred years ago — skipping over many historical details — the world went into darkness. This event was recorded by the Japanese in their story of Amaterasu, the goddess who went into the Earth, and also by the Mayans, whose calendar shows that the world went into spiritual darkness at an exact date just over 500 years ago.

It was at this time that a new "scientific" culture was born that saw the Earth as a big rock in the sky, without Spirit. And this culture eventually came to control America and most of Europe. It was also at this time (not by coincidence) that the Illuminati, and the beginnings of the Secret Government, as it now is often called, organized to once more find a way to take control of the Earth.

The Secret Government consists of those few people who have most of the money in the world. They are not connected to any particular country. They work through international corporations, and, with their vast amount of financial and political power, they direct the course of world events to serve their own ends.

The inner three hundred members of this group, and a few of the outer ten thousand, are direct blood descendants of the original Martians. As such, they have almost no emotional or moral basis within their being. They function from intellect and pure logic only. The loss of a life means nothing to them — as long as it is not their own.

And in its bid for complete control, this inner circle of the Secret Government, made up of descendants of the original Martians, is still trying to eliminate the Jews from the face of this world.

So this war, from my way of seeing, is tens of thousands of years old.

The Secret Government is very intelligent. Although its natural tendencies would be to side with the Arabs — both of them are desert civilizations — at this point they have infiltrated every single nation in the world.

Again, their primary goal is world domination. But to achieve that, their strategy has been to eliminate the Jews. Using the Arab countries, they have been putting pressure on the Jews, trying to "drive them into the sea" so that there will no longer be a Jewish state — or any Jewish resistance to their goals.

In the last American election, a coup took place. Bush was forced into the presidency. Now, the Secret Government not only controls America, but has control of her military power. A grand plan in now in effect. How can we change this?

Source is from Drunvalo's writings

posted in abandoned ship - 1 reply